Chinook Falls Washington

 Chinook Falls in Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Chinook Falls is 60-foot waterfall, most spectacular when water levels are high, pours wide Chinook Creek over a rock ledge. The waterfall is best viewed from mid-creek or the west side of the creek. Currently, a large log chained to the bank serves as a "bridge." The log can be slippery when wet, but in the dry summer months it is an easy walk across. Chinook Creek has a crystal-clear water and colorful pools. 

Chinook Falls is often the destination of choice for day hikers along the Siouxon Creek trail. It can be accessed via Chinook Creek Trail #130A in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

 

Directions to Chinook Falls:

Take SR 503 to the town of Chelatchie and turn east onto NE Healy Road. Follow this road, which becomes FSR 54 after a couple miles, for 9 miles and bear left (uphill) on FSR 57 (54 turns to gravel at this point while 57 remains paved). Just over one mile further turn left onto FSR 5701 (still paved) and follow it to its end 3 3/4 miles further at the Siouxon Creek Trailhead. Hike the Siouxon Creek Trail for four miles to a junction and head left across the footbridge onto Chinook Trail #130A and follow it for another 1/4 of a mile to the bottom of the falls.

Siouxon Creek Falls Washington

 Siouxon Falls - Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Siouxon Falls is the first of many waterfalls hikers encounter along the length of Siouxon Creek trail while following its namesake trail. The falls - the second largest along the length of creek paralleling the trail - flumes 28 feet down a narrow crack in the bedrock then spills into a huge blue pool popular for swimming and fishing alike. The falls are a common turn around point for hikers looking for an easy stroll, but better waterfalls further up the drainage beg for additional exploration. A small 9 foot fall can be found along the creek a third of a mile further upstream. 

Upper Siouxon Falls

Siouxon Creek is a stream well-endowed with waterfalls - eight drops of 5 feet or more are known to exist along its length, but only half of those are significant enough to warrant inclusion in this database. The uppermost fall along the creek is a 16 foot tall plunging block-type waterfall that stretches to over 30 feet in width during periods of high flow. The creek drops over such a uniform ledge and into such a perfect pool that one could be excused for assuming the falls were not natural. 

Directions to Siouxon Creek Falls:  

Take SR 503 to the town of Chelatchie and turn east onto NE Healy Road. Follow this road, which becomes FSR 54 after a couple miles, for 9 miles and bear left (uphill) on FSR 57 (54 turns to gravel at this point while 57 remains paved). Just over one mile further turn left onto FSR 5701 (still paved) and follow it to its end 3 3/4 miles further at the Siouxon Creek Trailhead. Hike the Siouxon Creek Trail for 1.8 miles to trailside vantages and a bench overlooking the falls.

Lewis River Trail Washington

 Lewis River Trail - Gifford Pinchot National Forest

The Lewis River trail follows a gentle uphill grade through a magnificent Douglas fir, western red cedar and big leaf maple old-growth forest. This trail has multiple sections and also we can view the beautiful waterfalls along the river trail.

Trail sections and spurs:

#31 Lewis River Trail: Curly Creek to Lower Falls

#31 Lewis River Trail: Lower Falls to Quartz Creek

#31A Curly Creek and Miller Creek Falls Trail

#31C Middle Falls Trail

#31E Speed Trail 

The Lower Lewis River Falls are spectacular. At 43 feet high and 200 feet across. On the left side is a churning trough which gathers most of the water flow, and there are several viewpoints to capture the scene from.

Start point: Lower Lewis River Falls Trailhead

End point: Taitnapum Falls

Distance: 6.6 miles

Elevation gain: 500 feet

Passes: A valid Recreation Pass / Northwest Forest Pass is required

 

Middle Lewis Falls is 33 foot cataract is the widest of the multitude of waterfalls along the Lewis River. The falls spread out over a broad bedrock sheet then crash sideways into a trough, half of the falls plunging straight down in a horseshoe and half sliding down the bedrock. From one end to the other the falls are almost 300 feet wide.

Upper Lewis River Falls is the tallest of the four major falls on this section of the river. Here the Lewis encounters a strangely squared sheet of basalt, sheets out over the flat rock allowing a small portion of the river to plunge a sheer 58 feet over the overhanging cliff, but the majority of the water gathers in a narrow trough and stair-steps to the pool below.

Eightmile Creek Falls Washington

 Eightmile Creek Falls Columbia Hills State Park

Eightmile Creek Falls is a waterfall in Washington state. The falls are located in Columbia Hills State Park and are about 450 feet above sea level. The falls are a series of cascading drops that begin with a 40-foot drop and end with a 123-foot drop.  Eight-mile Creek spills over rimrock into a narrow slot canyon here. The falls become a mere trickle in the summer months.

 

 The falls are located near Centerville, Washington and are a moderate 0.2-mile out-and-back easy hike. There is a viewpoint just east of the Access Road.

 

Directions: Eight mile Creek is located north of State Route 14 East of Horesthief Lake along the Columbia River Gorge. There's a viewpoint just east of the Access Road off Route 14.

 Columbia Hills State Park Washington

Columbia Hills Historic State Park is a Washington state park located 6 miles east of Dallesport on SR 14 in Klickitat County. The park occupies 3,338 acres (1,351 ha) on Horsethief Lake, an impoundment of the Columbia River, and was created in 2003 with the merger of Horse thief Lake State Park and Dalles Mountain Ranch. 

The Butte and the surrounding Columbia River channel were carved out of basalt rock by floods following the last ice age. The basalt rock resulted from a series of lava flows which emerged from cracks in the earth's crust and blanketed the entire eastern Washington/Oregon region long before the coming of ice-age floods. 

This State Park offers various activities that includes

camping, boating, picnicking, fishing, swimming, windsurfing, rock climbing, and hiking on 12 miles (19 km) of trails.

Ø  The trails offer Columbia River Gorge views

Ø  Lupines and balsam root

Ø  Lush green grass meadows

Ø  Horse thief Lake

Ø  Horsethief Butte Trail

Ø  Crawford Oaks Trail

Ø  Dalles Mountain Ranch

 

Wildflowers in Columbia Hills Historic State Park

Columbia Hills State Park is a Washington State Park located 6 miles east of Dallesport on SR 14 in Klickitat County. A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to state parks for day use.

Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve (NAP) is located on the crest of the Columbia Hills at the east end of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, 17 miles southwest of Goldendale, adjacent to Columbia Hills State Park. Columbia Hills NAP, which is currently 3,644 acres, was established in 1993 after being identified by the Washington State Natural Heritage Program as a priority for protecting Washington’s largest populations of three rare plants: obscure buttercup (Ranunculus reconditus) — state endangered, Douglas’ draba (Cusickiella douglasii) and hot-rock penstemon (Penstemon deustus var.variabilis), both state threatened.

Horsethief Butte Hike Washington

 Horsethief Butte in Columbia Hills State Park

Horse thief Butte Trail is a 2-mile hike in Columbia Hills State Park, Washington. The trail is considered easy and dog-friendly. The trail offers views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood. The trail is marked and leads to the summit of the butte. The butte is made of hexagonal columns of Wanapum basalt flows that are about 15 million years old. The trail is located near Dallesport, Washington.

The Wanapum Basalt is one of the four major categories of lava flows in the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG).

The trail is 2 miles roundtrip and has an elevation gain of 200 feet. The highest point on the trail is 498 feet.

Ø  Start point: Horsethief Butte Trail head

Ø  End point: Horsethief Butte Summit

Ø  Distance: Around 2 miles round trip

Ø  Elevation gain: 250 feet

Ø  High point: 498 feet

Ø  Difficulty: Easy

Ø  Fee to park in the trail head - Discover Pass

Ø  Beware of poison oak and rattlesnakes

 

It is composed of hexagonal columns of Wanapum basalt flows that were scoured by the Ice Age floods some 10,000 years ago. This trail offers a short hike to sweeping views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood on the plateau around the base. Wildlflowers bloom around the base of Horsethief Butte in the spring, including grass widows, death camas and the pungent smell of Klickitat desert parsley.

How to Reach: From Vancouver, take SR 14 east through Lyle to the junction with US 197. (From The Dalles, take exit 87 off I-84 onto US 197 and cross the Columbia River, driving north 3.3 miles to the junction with SR 14.) Continue east on SR 14 for 2.8 miles to the signed trailhead parking area on the south side of the highway.

The trail is located on Washington State Highway 14, also known as the Lewis & Clark Highway. This scenic drive runs parallel to I-84 on the north side of the Columbia River.